Construction workers are the guys and gals in hard hats grinding away whenever they're on the clock. Between them they perform a wide variety of get-your-hands-dirty functions. These range from cleaning and preparing construction sites to digging trenches and backfilling holes to operating heavy equipment, concrete mixers, and jackhammers, at times carrying out dangerous tasks on narrow steel beams dozens of stories above the ground. It is a tough, grueling profession that mixes sweat with grime. It also exposes workers to various toxins and loud noises – among other bodily stressors – and it requires physical stamina, muscle strength, and energy while being on your feet for hours at a time. If you're looking for work, you don't just walk onto a construction site, sign a paper, and grab a two-by-four as soon as you start to work – even if it looks like that at times on TV or in the movies. Yes, some construction workers learn their trade through on-the-job training (OJT), per yourfreecareertest.com, although the Laborers' International Union of North America requires of its members 300 hours of pertinent instruction to go with 4,000 hours of OJT.
Vitamins and Supplements for Construction Workers
Conceivably, there is not a profession in the world in which workers or practitioners can't somehow benefit from supplementing their daily diets with health-maintaining or -inducing vitamins and supplements. There's something for everyone! Construction workers are no exception. Taking care of your body is vital to the construction worker. Following are some vitamins and dietary supplements that address the particular rigors and physical needs of these multifaceted jobs. Be sure to discuss the use of any of these with your physician before adding them to your dietary regimen:- Ashwagandha. This medicinal herb, whose use dates back thousands of years to the Indian practice of Ayurvedic medicine, is believed to enhance energy by boosting your body's resilience to physical and mental stress, per healthline.com.
- Vitamin B12. This important vitamin assists in the conversion of consumed food into energy for cell use. It can also help treat a form of anemia related to weakness and tiredness.
- Vitamin C. Known best for its apparent ability to help stave off colds, vitamin C is an antioxidant vitamin with anti-inflammatory properties also essential to effective tissue repair within the body, making it useful in treating muscle strains, per livestrong.com. Vitamin C can also play a role in detoxification of the liver, per palmerlakerecovery.com.
- Carnitine. Several clinical trials have shown that carnitine can boost fatty acid oxidation, indicating the potential for weight loss, per National Institutes of Health (NIH). This possibly helps with weight loss in a profession where being overweight or obese can create work-related issues in a physically-demanding profession.
- CoQ10. This is the abbreviation for coenzyme Q10, which works to help your cells produce energy while protecting them from oxidative damage, per healthline.com.
- Vitamin D. A vitamin D shortage in your body has been associated with weakened bones and muscles, per the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health, as cited at livestrong.com. As an antioxidant, vitamin D can also help in detoxifying the body.
- Folate. Taking it daily has shown indications of slowing down hearing loss, per natural-treatments-for.com.
- Green tea. Bolsters the oxidation of fat and expenditure of energy while reducing lipogenesis and fat absorption, per NIH, putting it in the same category with carnitine for possible weight loss. Weight loss can be especially beneficial for those construction workers on their feet a lot, as flat feet, fallen arches, and severe pronation are common among people fighting weight issues.
- Hawthorn berry. This is an herb that has been identified for being able to activate blood flow that can aid in the prevention of hearing loss.
- Iron. Your body needs iron to make the protein hemoglobin, which helps carry oxygen from your lungs to various organs and tissues throughout your body. If deficient in iron, you might feel fatigue and weak much of the time, per healthline.com.
- N-acetylcysteine. Another vitamin supplement linked to the prevention of hearing loss for people often exposed to loud noises.
- Niacin (Vitamin B3). Ear, nose, and throat specialists often recommend a supplemental dose of niacin to enhance blood flow to the microcapillaries of the inner ear so as to feed the auditory nerve, per natural-treatments-for.com. This gives hope to those construction workers often exposed to loud noises, such as those tasks requiring hearing protection—such as operating jackhammers.